This was the end of the first real NYE run ('66 had two shows) and the only NYE festivities not held in the Bay Area. You would guess the only outside NYE show would be in NYC! Was Graham unhappy that he didn't get to throw a bash? He would have the next three at Winterland. This was the Dead's second run at this Fenway Park music club. It was right behind - and in the shadow of - the Green Monster, just feet from Gate C, and the back door was the freeway. It was also the last of nine shows in Boston this year. It's not one of the month's best shows (and the very next day is the long-popular 1/2/70 Fill East), but is still entertaining (scan the second set list). It's the third NYE show but the first with extant tape! And better SBDs have emerged - until 2008 this used to trade in much rougher form, often bits as airy filler. The
newenglandhistoricalsociety.com has a somewhat apocryphal but close enough tale to set the stage:
"The Grateful Dead played there on New Year’s Eve 1969, but not before trying to get everyone high on LSD. They spiked the drinks in the soda machine and injected it into a sealed bottle of Mateus. The Dead managed to victimize manager Don Law and the security guards."
First Set. You get lots of Pig organ but almost no audible Tom C., even with newer source clarity. This is all average to above average stuff, typical of '69. But the bookends are best: a nice
China>Rider, and a fun as hell
Mason's & Dire Wolf. Black Peter is attentively rendered but not yet fully arranged.
Mason's has a long intro and is one of the better versions.
Dire Wolf is a good example of the 2nd arrangement of the year (and not the one that comes in '70). Jer makes a joke about singing along, which he'd been making in Dec - you don't hear Jer cracking jokes on-mic for very long after this.
Uncle John's is the 7th one and doesn't have the intro riff quite yet.
Second Set. The set is packed with 14 songs, but still comes in under 2hrs. As promised to the revelers earlier, Bobby does the dadaist Yellow Dog for midnight.
Alligator isn't the best of the last half of '69, but the jam section satisfies and a 21min gator just ain't no frown. It has the Goodnight Jam that was soon attached to GDtRFB.
Caution has a melty Feedback with Mickey's cannon [earlier copies were missing this minute]. After a sudden jump start into
Good Lovin', it's abandoned after two verses when, during the drum break, Phil picks up on the beat and starts
The Eleven. This is a unique section and probably the high point (is this the only Good Lovin' break off into 11?). There's a cut @11:08, though it's been smoothed on the Miller source. I rather like this 11 - especially the 5-7min portion - even if not quite 11/8 or the one from the next show. It's basically a stand-alone 11.
High Time is one of the better examples of the spare, '69 arrangement and
Cumberland Blues was just getting good at this exact point: this is the best one of late '69 (technically '70!). During a Sidewalks of New York tuning it sounds like they're setting up Jer's steel guitar and are about to do that playlist as a 3rd set. But instead they sort of self-discover
Big Boy Pete. This appeared just twice in '69 and twice in both '66 & '70, making it a total rarity. They likely got it from the version by The Olympics [as with Good Lovin']. Jer also did The Olympics' Hully Gully [the Dead did it once]. This is probably the best version of the throw-off. Then it's
Not Fade. The playing's great, the vox not so much, though it's only the 3rd one (not counting a couple earlier teases and brief accidental finds) and does whip up a tempest. The next tuning is a full-band Merry Go Round Broke Down, and then Mickey and Phil tease Dawk Staw. This draws strong protests from Jer, who wants another break to set up (and anyway it was played the night before). This is the 3rd of 8 versions of
Seasons of My Heart - in fact they lay out two George Jones songs for Bobby to sing and Jer to play steel. Again this is the one you want if yr looking for the best version - and I can't imagine you are. Note that here you can hear TC.
The Race is On is only the second one, and coming 6mos after the first. Unpracticed, they have to feel it out. They played
Silver Threads & Golden Needles more, but they're still essentially goofing around with the NYE party-hatted noisemaker blowers. This is the final
Ol' Slewfoot of nine, the Howard Crockett bluegrass standard getting put to bed. Um, not sure what happened to the steel guitar that Jer usually played on some of these, but sounds like there were a couple failed attempts to set it up to his satisfaction. By
Dancing in the Street it's clear that the night is winding down and dawn is threatening.
1st Set: C
2nd Set: C+
Overall = 3 stars
Highlights:
The Eleven - basically a stand-alone and unique
Cumberland Blues - they've a right to play smug
Big Boy Pete - best version for the curious
Seasons of My Heart - if yr Jonesin' for George's weeper
SOURCES: The miller_95420 is both the clearest and the most complete. It's just a bit fast, and
needs -1% pitch correction.
